1. Field of the Invention
The present invention related to mobile communications devices, and more particularly to acquiring, maintaining, and using information to be communicated in bar code form with a mobile communications device.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of bar code scanners in a great many aspects of everyday life is commonplace. Bar code scanners are found in many different types of facilities, including supermarkets, airport security, check-in and boarding areas, stadiums, libraries, test centers, conference centers, and many other places. The use of bar code scanners has dramatically increased the speed at which many commonplace transactions can be completed.
While typically printed on paper labels and stubs, bar codes may also be presented on the electronic displays of mobile communications devices. For example, in International Publication no. WO 00/03328 dated Jan. 20, 2000, Motorola Inc. of Schaumburg, Ill., describes the display of bar coded information on a selective call receiver (xe2x80x9cSCRxe2x80x9d). Demographic information concerning the user of the SCR is stored in the SCR. The demographic information is displayed on the SCR in bar code format such that it can be read by a bar code scanner, as in a store or at a point-of-sale. A stored coupon may also be displayed in bar code format so that it can be read and redeemed at the point-of-sale. A stored affinity card code and a unique identifier may also be displayed in bar code format so that they can be read to identify a selected affinity group and the customer at the point-of-sale. As a further example, Impulsity Inc. of Dallas, Tex., has proposed using voice recognition technology to allow a cellular telephone user to identify himself or herself while obtaining wirelessly from an airline computer an electronic bar coded boarding pass at the airport using only a cellular telephone. As proposed, the electronic boarding pass may be displayed as a bar code at the time of boarding on the screen of the cellular telephone so that the gate attendant may scan the boarding pass in a conventional manner.
The ability to present bar coded coupons and user affinity information on a cell phone display from data resident in the local memory of the cell phone enhances the usefulness of the cell phone. Similarly, the ability to use a cell phone to obtain a bar coded electronic boarding pass obtained wirelessly from an airline computer for display during the boarding process also enhances the usefulness of the cell phone. Unfortunately, these capabilities are not coordinated. A cell phone that is specially programmed to provide coupon storage and access has no ability to obtain a bar coded electronic boarding pass obtained wirelessly from an airline computer for display during the boarding process. Conversely, a cell phone that is specially programmed to obtain a bar coded electronic boarding pass obtained wirelessly from an airline computer for display during the boarding process has no ability to provide coupon storage and access or affinity group information. Older cell phones may lack the ability to be suitably programmed at all, and even newer cell phones that can be programmed must be programmed by different vendors to provide both services.
Even if capable of being suitably programmed, many low end cell phones lack a large memory, thereby severely restricting the amount of information that can be stored. Moreover, to maintain coupons up to date requires synchronizing the coupon memory on the cell phone with an external data base, which requires periodic maintenance overhead.
Using a cellular telephone to obtain a bar coded electronic boarding pass obtained wirelessly from an airline computer for display during the boarding process has the notable disadvantage of requiring each airline to arrange a new, unproven and potential costly service, namely wireless voice secure access into its computer systems.
Accordingly, an object of some of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide for the unified and coherent access to diverse types of information.
Another object of some of the embodiments of the present invention is to utilize to a substantial degree existing and proven infrastructure for the convenient acquisition, maintenance and use of information to be communicated in bar code form with mobile communications devices.
These and other objects and advantages are realized in whole or in part by the various embodiments of the present invention. One embodiment of the invention is a method of communicating information in bar code form with a mobile communications device having an input capability for a user thereof. The method comprises making available to the user by the mobile communications device first information about diverse categories of information relating to the user; identifying at least one of the diverse information categories, with user input from the user input capability of the mobile communications device in response to the step of making available first information; obtaining by the mobile communications device second information relating to the identified category; and communicating the second information at least in part in bar code form with light from the mobile communications device.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a method of communicating information in bar code form with a mobile communications device having input capability and an information display capability for the user thereof. This embodiment comprises making available to the user by the mobile communications device descriptive information about diverse categories of information relating to the user, the descriptive information being organized under category headings; identifying at least one of the diverse information categories with user input from the user input capability of the mobile communications device in response to the step of making available descriptive information; making available to the user by the mobile communications device option information about various options for the user that relate to the identified category; identifying at least one of the options with user input from the user input capability of the mobile communications device in response to the step of making available option information; obtaining by the mobile communications device an item of information relating to the identified option; displaying the information item at least in part in user-readable form by use of the information display capability of the mobile communications device; and communicating the information item at least in part in bar code form with light from the mobile communications device.
A further embodiment of the present invention is a method of communicating information to a mobile communications device, the mobile communications device having user input and information display capabilities and the communicated information being suitable for display in bar code form by use of the information display capability of the mobile communications device. This method comprises furnishing for the mobile communications device first information about diverse categories of information relating to a user of the mobile communications device; receiving an identification of at least one of the diverse information categories made by the user input capability of the mobile communications device; and furnishing for the mobile communications device, in response to the receiving step, second information from the identified information category, the second information being furnished in a form suitable for wireless transmission to the mobile communications device and at least part of the second information being furnished in a form suitable for display in bar code form by use of the information display capability of the mobile communications device.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention is a computer-implemented method of employing one or more computers to enable a mobile communications device having user input and information display capabilities to communicate information in bar code form, the one or more computers having access to a network that includes a wireless link for wirelessly communicating with the mobile communications device. This method comprises receiving from the mobile communications device via the network a request for first information about diverse categories of information relating to a user of the mobile communications device; furnishing the first information to the mobile communications device via the network; receiving from the mobile communications device via the network an identification of at least one of the diverse information categories contained in the first information furnished to the mobile communications device in the first information furnishing step, the identification being in response to the user input capability of the mobile communications device; and furnishing to the mobile communications device via the network second information from the identified information category, in response to the information category identifying step, the second information comprising a component to enable the mobile communications device to display at least part of the second information in bar code form by use of the information display capability of the mobile communications device.
A further embodiment of the present invention is a method of controlling entry to a facility, comprising furnishing to the mobile communications device first information about diverse categories of information relating to a user of the mobile communications device, the categories of information including a ticket-related category; receiving an identification of the ticket-related category from the user input capability of the mobile communications device; and wirelessly furnishing to the mobile communications device, in response to the receiving step, ticket information from the ticket-related category, at least part of the ticket information being furnished in a form suitable for display in bar code form by use of the information display capability of the mobile communications device.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention is a method of communicating information in bar code form with a mobile communications device having user input and information display capabilities. This method comprises making available electronic access to diverse transactional information relating to a user of the mobile communications device, the transactional information being stored in a first non-transient memory comprising electronic memory of at least one computer system; identifying at least one transaction category in response to the user input capability of the mobile communications device; furnishing to the mobile communications device first information for the identified transaction category from the diverse transactional information stored in the first non-transient memory, at least part of the first information being furnished in a form suitable for communication in bar code form with light from the mobile communications device; receiving a communication with light from the mobile communications device of at least part of the first information in bar code form, with a bar code scanner; and processing the part of the first information obtained in the receiving step to obtain second information about use of the first information by the user, the second information being stored in a second non-transient memory comprising electronic memory of at least one computer system.
A further embodiment of the present invention is a method of processing coupons comprising issuing electronic coupons from an agency; furnish the electronic coupons to a delivery engine for storage in a database comprising diverse categories of information relating to a user of a mobile communications device; furnishing at least one of the coupons in electronic bar code form to a mobile communications device for communication with light from the mobile communications device; receiving, at the delivery engine, coupon usage data and a store identifier from a scan of light from the mobile communications device at a point-of-sale; forwarding the coupon usage data and an identifier for the point-of-sale from the delivery engine to a clearinghouse; preparing at the clearinghouse a report of coupon usage from the coupon usage data and the point-of-sale identifier; sending money from the clearinghouse to the point-of-sale based on the coupon usage report; and sending the coupon usage report to the agency.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention is a method of processing coupons comprising issuing electronic coupons from an agency; furnish the electronic coupons to a mobile communications device for storage in a database thereof comprising diverse categories of information relating to a user of the mobile communications device, and for communication of at least one of the coupons in electronic bar code with light from the mobile communications device; generating coupon usage data from a scan of light from the mobile communications device at a point-of-sale; forwarding the coupon usage data and an identifier for the point-of-sale from the point-of-sale to a clearinghouse; preparing at the clearinghouse a report of coupon usage from the coupon usage data and the point-of-sale identifier; sending money from the clearinghouse to the point-of-sale based on the coupon usage report; and sending the coupon usage report to the agency.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a mobile communications device comprising a wireless communications capability; a user input capability; and a plurality of software components for communicating information in bar code form with light from the mobile communications device. The software components comprise a component for acquiring first information about diverse categories of information relating to a user of the mobile communications device; a component for identifying at least one of the diverse information categories acquired by the acquiring component in response to the user input capability of the mobile communications device; a component responsive to the identifying component for acquiring via the wireless communications capability second information from the identified information category; and a component for communicating the second information at least in part in bar code form with light from the mobile communications device.
A further embodiment of the present invention is a mobile communications device comprising a communications capability; a user input capability; a memory; and a plurality of software components for managing a database of information in diverse categories relating to the user stored in the memory, and for communicating information in bar code form with light from the mobile communications device. The software components comprise a component for making available to the user first information about the diverse categories of information; a component for identifying at least one of the diverse information categories with user input from the user input capability of the mobile communications device in response to the first information made available by the first information making available component; a component for obtaining second information relating to the identified information category from the database; and a component for communicating the second information at least in part in bar code form with light from the mobile communications device.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention is a system comprising a network comprising a wireless component; a mobile communications device having a user input capability and a capability of communicating information in bar code form with light, and being coupled to the network via the wireless component thereof; a bar code scanner coupled to the network; a database maintained on at least one database server coupled to the network, the database comprising diverse transactional information in a plurality of transaction categories relating to a user of the mobile communications device; means for furnishing information about at least some of the transaction categories from the database to the mobile communications device via the network; means incorporated into the mobile communications device for identifying at least one of the transaction categories in response to the user input capability of the mobile communications device; means for furnishing first information for the identified transaction category from the database to the mobile communications device via the network, the first information having a capability of enabling the mobile communications device to communicate at least part of the first information in bar code form with light from the mobile communications device; means for receiving from the bar code scanner the part of the first information communicated in a bar code form with light; and means for process the part of the first information obtained in the receiving step to obtain second information about use of the first information by the user.
A further embodiment of the present invention is a system of processing coupons, comprising means for issuing electronic coupons from an agency; means for furnishing the electronic coupons to a delivery engine for storage in a database comprising diverse categories of information relating to a user of a mobile communications device; means for furnishing the coupons in electronic bar code form to a mobile communications device for communication thereof with light from the mobile communications device; means for receiving, at the delivery engine, coupon usage data and a point-of-sale identifier from a scan of light from the mobile communications device at a point-of-sale, the light communicating at least one of the coupons in bar code form; means for forwarding the coupon data and the point-of-sale identifier from the delivery engine to a clearinghouse; means for preparing at the clearinghouse a report of coupon usage from the coupon usage data and the point-of-sale identifier; means for sending money from the clearinghouse to the point-of-sale based on the coupon usage report; and means for sending the coupon usage report to the agency.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention is a system of processing coupons, comprising means for issuing electronic coupons from an agency; means for furnishing the electronic coupons to a mobile communications device for storage in a database thereon comprising diverse categories of information relating to a user of the mobile communications device, and for communication the electronic coupons in electronic bar code form with light from the mobile communications device; means for generating coupon usage data from a scan of light from the mobile communications device at a point-of-sale, the light communicating at least one of the coupons in bar code form; means for forwarding the coupon data and the point-of-sale identifier to a clearinghouse; means for preparing at the clearinghouse a report of coupon usage from the coupon usage data and the point-of-sale identifier; means for sending money from the clearinghouse to the point-of-sale based on the coupon usage report; and means for sending the coupon usage report to the agency.